Friday, September 27, 2013

One of
the few recordings ever from the amazing Larry Saunders – a 70s soul artist
we'd rank right up there with Donny Hathaway or Stevie Wonder, but one who's
also got some of the deep soul touches of Al Green too! This album's a total
gem all the way through – full of beautifully-written, beautifully-arranged
tunes that balance Larry's deep vocals with some rich charts that never get too
overdone – just always in this perfect style that shows off some of the jazzy
changes in Saunders music, but with a simple and focused groove that really
keeps things moving too. The whole thing was recorded at Muscle Shoals, but it
was produced with a feel that reminds us much more of a New Jersey album from
the same time – and the legendary Mr Wiggles (August Moon) helped put the whole
thing together. Tracks include "You Beat Me Baby", "Fly Away
Love Bird", "This Is My Prayer", and "All My Friends Call
Me a Fool". ~ Dusty Groove

Brian
Jackson re-ignites the righteous magic he forged back in the 70s with Gil
Scott-Heron on a set of legendary albums that we'll treasure forever – but he
does so here in a richly collaborative spirit that takes the message and the
music even farther than ever! Jackson's keyboards and sense of composition
really holds the whole thing together – but the sound also includes
contributions from a whole host of others – including MC M1, vocalists Martin
Luther and Gregory Porter, percussionists Bill Summers and Airto, speakers
Bobby Seale and Abiodun Oyewole, drummer Stanton Moore, and guest MCs Chuck D
and Dead Prez. Some tracks are remakes of older Gil Scott-Heron numbers, but
most are new grooves that really offer up a 21st Century take on the
combination of knowledge and rhythm that Brian and Gil forged back in the 70s.
Titles include "Go Ahead On Bobby", "Winter In America",
"Opponent", "Liberation Psychology", "All We
Got", "Tradition", and "Song Of The Wind". ~ Dusty Groove

THE
WHOLE DARN FAMILY – HAS ARRIVED

An
excellent bit of funk – and one of those records that folks were digging for
way back in the days when folks were hardly digging for obscure funk records!
The album's centerpiece is the classic "Seven Minutes of Funk", a
biiiig sample cut from the early days (think EPMD), and a beautiful slow track
that's in a class by itself when it comes to funk – sly, sinister, and with a
heavy groove that's held up beautifully over the years! Other tunes follow in a
similarly tight funk mode – played with lots of sharp edges, and some great
energy by the group. In addition to "Seven Minutes Of Fun", other
titles include "New Yorkin", "I'm Hurt", "You Know
That You Liked", "Ain't Nothing But Something To Do", and a
version of "Fly Away Love Bird", which was cut by Larry Saunders, who
was also on the Soul International label. CD features two bonus tracks – an
alternate take of "Seven Minutes Of Funk", and the single "Half
Of Seven Minutes Of Funk". ~ Dusty
Groove